Old Geezers Out to Lunch

Old Geezers Out to Lunch
The Geezers Emeritus through history: The Mathematician™, Dr. Golf™, The Professor™, and Mercurious™

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Reflections on Health Care Reform Act

From where I sit, it's pretty hard to understand the paranoid fear surrounding the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (brilliantly nicknamed "Obamacare" by foes, thereby guaranteeing long-lasting animosity).

None of the fears surrounding the legislation have really come to pass, at least not that I can see; my own standard health insurance premiums have actually moderated in their pace of increase, compared to double digit increases every year in earlier times. And there are a couple of tangible benefits I've seen. My daughter is now able to stay on my health insurance as she continues her schooling while working a part-time job without benefits. And my state's health insurance exchange looks like it will offer an insurance cost that might allow older workers to retire slightly earlier than than might have otherwise—a trend that could only be good for an economy that needs to put younger, under-employed workers into the mainstream work force.

So it's frankly hard for me to understand the hysteria around this. Granted, I'm a liberal by nature, but when public policy went against my grain toward a right-wing direction in the past, I got over it pretty quick. The Patriot Act was an insidious move to me, but I didn't keep the chip on my shoulder forever. Why is it, then, that the conservative wing maintains this shrill combat with legislation that's attempting to serve the public good?  It seems like a purely knee-jerk animosity to me, not very solidly based in evidence or logic. And I don't see how you can really argue with the basic need for some kind of legislative fix. Can anybody say with the straight face that they are against affordability for a need as basic as health care? If not the Affordable Care Act, then propose something else. The status quo was not working.

I know there are some conservative readers among our club....perhaps you can comment on your own take on the Affordable Care Act.   Can you point to real negative results, tangible ones rather than imaginary fears? If you have examples, I'd surely listen.

6 comments:

  1. I shouldn't enter this fray but I will say that I agree wholeheartedly with you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree, partly. I really think we should have a more comprehension national single-payer plan.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I pretty much agree with you. I don't think it's all "knee-jerk animosity" though.
    I think a lot of the animosity towards Obama comes from a much worse place and is very deep rooted.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My only concern about Obamacare is the fact that it's 2700 pages written by (more than likely) incompetent bureaucrats and industry insiders with somethning to gain. I firmly agree we need some sort of "national health care" for lack of a better term....I just wish more thought would have gone into it before committing it to law. But it is what it is, so I say now lets fix it and make it truly workable.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A main concern I have heard from the right is that it puts a strain on small businesses by forcing them to provide healthcare to full time employees. Now, since many businesses have simply cut hours to 29 instead of 30 to avoid this cost, and moan about having to "let go" of employees, it seems its more of a "I'm an asshole who doesn't want to pony up when my employees get sick" kind of mentality

    But hey, what do I know?

    ReplyDelete